


famILY is more than blood-relation

by that_gay_mess



Series: Vent Fics [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Asexual Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Asexual Logic | Logan Sanders, Bi-Curious Deceit | Deceit Sanders, Bisexual Creativity | Roman Sanders, Bisexual Sleep | Remy Sanders, Depressed!Virgil, Gay Logic | Logan Sanders, Genderfluid Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Human Sides, Multi, Non-Binary Logic | Logan Sanders, Panromantic Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Pansexual Morality | Patton Sanders, Polyamorous Curious Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Trans Male Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, vent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:54:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21914008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/that_gay_mess/pseuds/that_gay_mess
Summary: Virgil Sanders wasn't a very open person, but his friends - both online and in-person - made it easy to be himself. Sure, his parents might be far from supportive, but with friends like his, it was easier to accept himself.
Series: Vent Fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1579087
Comments: 2
Kudos: 60





	famILY is more than blood-relation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [all my Pinterest friends](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=all+my+Pinterest+friends).
  * Inspired by [Just Inhale For Now (And Someday You Can Exhale)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20057740) by [mattiebluebird (ScarlettBond)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarlettBond/pseuds/mattiebluebird). 



> This is a vent post because why not. 
> 
> None of the characters I picked for my friends are actually based off of them or their personalities. 
> 
> (Roman "represents" one of my irl friends. Logan, Patton, Deceit, and Remy "represent" four of my online friends.)

Virgil had always been filled with a certain amount of self-loathing. He just wished that dysphoria was what had started it. He'd had depression since sixth grade, his anxiety dating back far more than that. It had only been greatly increased because of the high levels of dysphoria he was experiencing as of late. 

This story might make more sense with context, so let's back up a bit.

Virgil Sanders was not always Virgil Sanders. He hadn't always been male or agender, but that was in the past.

Whenever someone asked for his pronouns, he promptly told them they were he/him or they/them - of course, that prompted questions such as "why two pronouns?" or "are you genderfluid?" and even "so you're a tr*nny?". That last one always stung the most. Yes, he was gender-fluid. Sometimes he was male, sometimes he was agender. At first, he'd had two names to switch between, but when that got too confusing at school, he just told people his first preferred name: Virgil.

He also openly stated that he was panromantic (the asexual part less so) and it was just accepted. At his small school, there were more LGBT+ people than one would expect, but it made coming out that much easier. For the most part. His family was not supportive of how he identified, even though he'd attempted to come out three times. He decided to simply give up with his parents and try to find supportive friends.

Which he ended up doing. Virgil had made friends over the course of his first year at high school that he hoped would stay with him forever. 

Firstly, there was his boyfriend Roman Prince. Roman was a bisexual mess - but he was the first person in high school to talk to him and respect his pronouns. Roman was kind, funny, and very much a chatty person. He and Virgil had been dating for about three months by December of 2019. It was the first stable relationship Virgil had had with anybody before, and he loved his boyfriend with all his heart. Roman had less-than-supportive parents and if they were to learn that he had a trans friend, or that the two of them were in a relationship, Virgil would never be allowed in the house and even Roman could be in danger. As Roman had a little brother, Phillip, who attended the same high school it was hard at times to be open about their relationship, but they made it work. Virgil was more than distressed when he discovered that they didn't have a class together and ended up using hateful words on himself when he forgot to spend the only thirty minutes he got with Roman at lunch, but Roman forgave him with a small smile and reassured him that it was okay.

Secondly, Logan Alexander. Logan was non-binary and used they/them pronouns. Virgil had a semi-secret crush on Logan, but he would never tell anyone that - let alone Logan themself. They were kind, thoughtful, and intelligent. They also liked to talk about themself as though they were less than amazing, which Virgil instantly fought against, trying to convince them that they were amazing and deserving of love. Logan also had less-than-supportive family, and Virgil swore that if he could, he would get them away from their family so that they'd be safe and hopefully happier. They were also the first person Virgil had come out to as polyamorous-curious ~~(a heckin' mouthful)~~ reassured him that they'd support him and eventually got him to calm down.

Third, came Patton Hart. Patton was pansexual and (as far as Virgil knew) was dating Deceit (Dee) Harding. Patton considered everyone his "kiddo" and was the father figure that most people in their friend group needed. While he had some surprisingly dark humor, Patton made sure to never offend one of his adopted children and often made sure before he said something or sent a message that it wouldn't offend listening ears. Virgil found himself trusting some of his darker secrets to Patton who in turn helped him work out the issues he'd brought to him. 

Next, there was Deceit Harding. Dee was a truthful person, despite his name. He would tell you how he felt and would offer advice on how not to offend others. He'd be a listening ear for anyone who needed it and would offer a shoulder to cry on for his friends. It was Deceit that brought together Logan, Virgil, and Patton, among others. Dee was sometimes thought of as the mother-figure of the group, but more often than not referred to as the "cool aunt". He was actually fairly similar to Patton in that he cared deeply for his friends and didn't wish to offend them in any way. As far as Virgil could tell, he was bi-curious - making only one person in their original group chat straight.

Finally, there was Remy Jones. Remy had recently come out as bisexual and Virgil chuckled at the thought of knowing more LGBT+ people than heteros. Remy was a year or two older than Virgil and infinitely more laid back. While Virgil was basically a walking anxiety attack, Remy was almost the opposite. There were even times when he'd helped his younger friend with his anxiety attacks - for which, Virgil was immensely grateful. Admittedly, Virgil didn't talk to Remy as much as the others, but he enjoyed the conversations they did have.

There was _one_ thing that all these people had in common, and it was insanely upsetting for Virgil.

_They all expressed fear of at least one person finding out about them being some part of the LGBTQ+_ community.

Patton wasn't sure about his parents but was fairly sure that they'd get mad if they found out he was pansexual. The thought alone made him terrified of coming out to them or anybody who might let it slip around them.

In fact, that was what most of the group felt. No matter what their identity was, Remy, Deceit, Patton, Logan, Roman, and Virgil were afraid of someone finding out. 

~~Well, Virgil wasn't 100% sure about Remy, but he made a guess.~~

Logan and Virgil probably took it the worst, though. Neither of them identified with their AGAB which instantly made coming out to anybody much more complicated. There was the explaining of their gender and explaining their pronouns and preferred name. Nobody ever said this was easy, and they felt either unsafe or scared around their blood-family.

They both had one (1) family member that was LGBT+, but that didn't really comfort them much. To the best of Virgil's knowledge, the other hadn't even attempted to come out to their family for various reasons - most of them linking back to fear. Virgil often expressed how much he wished he could take Logan away from their family so that they'd both feel safer and more able to be themselves.

As for Virgil, his entire life was a mess. He'd attempted to come out to his parents three separate times as trans and gender fluid. Each time, he'd been told that it was "just a phase" or "a part of growing up" and he hated that his parents wouldn't just accept him. On top of that, he'd asked for a binder on two separate occasions and had only gotten yelled at and misgendered by his mother because "isn't a sports bra the same d*mn thing?". He desperately wanted to retort that "no, they weren't the same," but that would only bring more yelling, which he received enough on a daily basis. Virgil was ready to resort to ace bandages even though he knew full well that they were unhealthy. There was no way to even sneakily get a binder, so what other option was there?

There was no logical reason for all of these _kids_ to be scared to be themselves and yet, here they all were. A few even knew of kids who'd been thrown out of their homes for coming out to their parents, which definitely didn't help to ease their fear.

Here were these kids, all clearly needing a better support group than the family they'd been born into.

These six teenagers had the miraculous luck of meeting each other (Virgil thought it was miraculous, anyway), and they eventually became a family.

His friends taught him that, even if your blood relatives aren't the kindest people or the most supportive, you can always make a family of friends that will support each other and have their backs no matter what.

As it turns out, Virgil discovered, there was some good in the world that was worth staying to see.

**Author's Note:**

> For anybody reading this, I hope you know that family does not have to be (and is rarely ever) just by blood-relations. Friends can - and have proven to be - a better family than your parents, siblings, or other relatives could ever be for some.
> 
> Take it from me, true friends will support you no matter what the world (or your blood-family) throws at you.


End file.
